Scaling Parcel Induction for Carrier Express Delivery with InductOne

Growth in Volume Accelerates Throughput Challenges

A global shipping company faced increasing demand across its parcel network, especially in urban hubs like Newark (EWR) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). With parcel volumes rising approximately 5% year-over-year1, manual operations struggled to keep pace, particularly in regions with tight labor markets and low unemployment rates.

Scaling operations proved difficult as organizational priorities emphasized throughput, reliability, and ergonomic safety. Coupled with persistent staffing and retention challenges and plans to adopt a high-speed sortation system from Beumer, the adoption of automation was a clear choice.

Key Metrics

  • Throughput of 1950 – 3000 (varies by parcel distribution)
  • [Insert reductions in recirculation or mispicks]
  • [Insert any labor cost or ergonomic improvements]

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Customer Overview

‍Type of Business: Global logistics and parcel delivery company

Carrier Express Parcel - CEP

‍Est. Size of Business: Multinational enterprise with global operations

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Automation for the Win

This shipping company sought an automation partner that could deliver scalable, high-throughput automated solutions for parcel induction at existing locations and potentially at new, high-volume facilities. Cognizant of the advanced Beumer sorter systems they were installing, the shipping company knew they needed a partner that was seasoned in the warehouse automation space, but also able to deliver additional efficiencies with the integration of other advanced technologies in the facilities.  

Piloting a single-arm induction solution at a brownfield facility, Plus One Robotics quickly delivered value. The success of that pilot set the stage for automation to be included in the new greenfield facilities.  

During the pilot period, Plus One Robotics released a new induction system, InductOne. This modular, high-speed, dual-arm induction system came to the market capable of significantly higher throughput, all within a compact footprint (input cell dimensions).  

Given the consistent growth in parcel volume and projections for continued growth, this shipping company chose to further future-proof their facilities and adopt the dual-arm offering. With InductOne, they matched the facilities consistent growth, reduced operating costs thanks to the ability to align interfaces with the Beumer sorters thereby achieving even more efficiencies.

‍Integrated Automation to Maximize Investment

The single-arm induction pilot proved the viability of robotic induction, demonstrating immediate value in throughput and ergonomics. Based on that success, this shipping company looked to Plus One for more induction systems purchasing various InductOne cells.

The selection of Plus One was driven by:

  • Proven performance and fast deployment from the pilot
  • The compact, lightweight design of InductOne
  • Seamless integration with Beumer’s LS4000 loop sorter, improving downstream accuracy and reducing recirculations

Implementation Timeline: 3 weeks of onsite support was provided

Adopting complex automation technologies comes with a number of challenges including space constraints, operator training and technical integrations. In this case, that meant aligning with Beumer to integrate the sortation systems. Addressed through collaborative technical planning, the integration investment can now be leveraged as the shipping company expands their automation initiatives to additional locations.

Predictable Productivity & Maximum Uptime

InductOne delivered a substantial boost in efficiency at DFW, with marked improvements in drop rates, mispicks, and item recirculation. The combination of accurate placement and sorter systems already designed for seamless integration drove better downstream metrics and overall system dependability.

With reduced ergonomic risk and higher system reliability, the workforce at these locations were able to shift focus to higher-value tasks. The solution’s modular footprint and brownfield compatibility gave the shipping company the flexibility to adopt InductOne in their greenfield operations while having the confidence that they can still leverage the same solution as they retrofit existing facilities.

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